The present invention relates to disposable absorbent articles which are adapted to contain body exudates. More particularly, the present invention relates to absorbent articles having fit panels which include an integrated waist size adjustment mechanism for improved fit and performance.
It is desired that absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants or incontinence garments provide a close, comfortable fit about the wearer and contain body exudates. Moreover, it is desirable that such absorbent articles, after being soiled, can be removed from the wearer in a convenient and clean manner without undesirably soiling the care giver or surrounding area such as the clothes of the wearer.
Conventional diapers have typically included a front waist portion and a rear waist portion which are releasably connected about the hips of the wearer during use by conventional fasteners such as adhesive tape fasteners or hook and loop type fasteners. For example, the conventional fasteners have typically included a pair of fasteners, such as adhesive tape tabs, located on the outermost corners of the diaper in the rear waist region of the diaper and a complimentary fastener, such as a taping panel, located on the outer surface of the outer cover of the diaper in the front waist portion of the diaper. In such a configuration, the diaper has been positioned between the legs of the wearer while the wearer is lying down and the adhesive tape tabs have been releasably attached to the taping panel to secure the rear waist portion to the front waist portion of the diaper to secure the diaper about the waist of the wearer. Such conventional diapers are easy to fasten about and remove from the wearer after use without undesirably soiling the care giver. However, such conventional diapers do not typically provide a secondary mechanism for adjusting the waist size after the fasteners have been releasably engaged.
Several attempts have been made to provide absorbent articles which effectively contain body exudates and which include a secondary fastening system to further conform the waist portions of the articles after the primary fasteners have been releasably engaged. However, many of such attempts have not been completely satisfactory.
Further, diapers having elasticized waistbands or flaps at their waist regions and elasticized fastening systems have not been completely satisfactory. For example, such waistbands have generally been narrow and consequently have not always provided a reliable sealing surface with the wearer""s body, resulting in leakage. Moreover, although the elasticized fastening systems used on conventional diapers have improved the fit of the diaper about the wearer, such systems have typically not been tied in or connected to the elasticized waistbands and flaps. Thus, the forces exerted on the fastening system have not been efficiently transferred and distributed laterally across the waist region of the diaper along a wide band. As a result, the fit and containment of some conventional absorbent articles have not been completely satisfactory.
Accordingly, despite the attempts to develop improved absorbent articles, there remains a need for absorbent articles which conform to the wearer to effectively contain bodily exudates, which are readily secured about and removed from the wearer in a convenient and clean manner, and which provide improved fit and containment at the waist regions.
In response to the difficulties and problems discussed above, new refastenable, disposable absorbent articles which have a fit panel and an integrated waist size adjustment mechanism have been invented.
In one aspect, the present invention concerns a refastenable, disposable absorbent article which comprises an absorbent chassis which defines a front waist region, a rear waist region, a crotch region which extends between and connects the waist regions, a pair of longitudinally opposed end edges, and a pair of laterally opposed side edges. The absorbent article also includes at least one fit panel which is located in one of the waist regions and which defines a waist edge, a pair of laterally opposed outboard edges which are located laterally beyond both of the side edges of the absorbent chassis, and an inward edge which is located longitudinally inward from the end edge of the absorbent chassis. The absorbent article further includes a pair of primary fasteners which are located on the laterally opposed outboard edges of the fit panel and which are configured to releasably engage the opposite waist region of the absorbent chassis to provide the disposable absorbent article.
The absorbent article further includes a waist size adjustment mechanism, such as a secondary fastener tab, which is configured to further conform the waist regions of the article to the wearer""s body after the primary fasteners have been releasably engaged. The secondary fastener tab may be created by a pair of laterally directed perforations on at least one of two laterally opposed sides of the fit panel.
In one embodiment, the fit panel may be provided by two laterally spaced apart side panels, each connected to one of the laterally opposed side edges of the absorbent chassis. In such a configuration, each of the side panels defines the waist edge, the inward edge and one of the laterally opposed outboard edges of the fit panel. Each of the side panels also includes one of the primary fasteners thereon and at least one of the side panels includes the integral waist size adjustment mechanism, such as a secondary fastener tab.
The present invention advantageously provides refastenable, disposable absorbent articles that include a fit panel which includes an integrated waist size adjustment mechanism. In particular, the various aspects of the present invention can advantageously provide an absorbent article having a more contouring fit and improved gasketing about the waist of the wearer, resulting in increased comfort, reduced leakage, and enhanced aesthetics.